Sony SEL50F14Z Planar T FE 50mm f/1.4 ZA Lens

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Upon holding the lens out of the box you already have a sense of the craftsmanship and build of this glass. And as soon as I placed my eye into that EVF I was immediately at awe at the clarity of what I am seeing. Clicked that shutter and viola - perfect picture in low light condition low ISO handheld! Certainly one of the BEST lenses I now own. Of course I have not shot extensively but one just knows. One tiny thing - I would have preferred a tab bit stiffer focus ring. But do not get me wrong, that is NOT a deal breaker at all.

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There are a couple issues that made me consider giving this 4 stars instead of 5 that I want to get out of the way. First, this is expensive and is by far the most Ive spent on a lens. I saved a little to ease the burden of the excessive cost but it still stings a bit. The main thing after you get over the sting a bit is that you have a good return on investment and I feel strongly that the return on your investment regarding this lens is great and I will get to that later. My second issue is the size and weight. For pros using big and expensive lenses on their more expensive full frame cameras, these probably arent issues for them. Im using this on an A6300 and I understand that it in ways defeats the purpose of a small aps-c camera but I couldnt resist this fast prime, even if was going to be a 76mm on my camera. This lens is big and it is heavy but not big or heavy enough to deduct a star considering what big and heavy means with this lens. The lens may be big and heavy but it is amazingly sturdy and well made. The metal construction feels strong and it mounts very snug and sturdy. The focus ring is smooth and offers what I feel is the perfect amount of resistance. It is similar to other Zeiss lenses I have used such as the 24 1.8 Zeiss aps-c lens. The grooves or knurling on the focus is tight but appropriately grippy. The aperture ring also feels good and I appreciate the option to remove the clicks between f-stops with a switch. Considering I am not a pro photographer I dont want to attempt an in depth review of the image quality considering many smarter people regarding cameras and lenses are already doing that. Also, this review is applicable to full frame cameras but I am using this on an A6300 until I step up to full frame one day in the future. The image quality is amazing and sharper than any other lens I have had the pleasure of using. Even at f1.4 it has great corner to corner clarity and sharpness and stopping down just a few stops makes it even sharper. The image quality and color is what you would expect from Zeiss glass. The bokeh on this lens is very smooth and creamy as it melts the background. The 1.4 shots just look great and the bokeh balls are nice and rounded. I cant imagine better bokeh from a lens unless you are paying significantly more for it like the GM Series or Canon L. In my limited experience with it so far it does show a bit of purple fringing in high contrast areas but far less than Im used to with other lenses and nothing that isnt easily corrected in post. The focus on the A6300 is fast and accurate. It runs into trouble in less than ideal lighting conditions but once youve played around with it you quickly understand how to get it to hit focus better in lower light and what to look for. The lack of image stabilization will diminish the use slightly on camera bodies like the A6300 that dont have image stabilization but with 1.4 you still have great opportunities for good looking low light shots. Overall it seems to work great with the A6300. Of course you get 75mm focal length which puts it in the 85mm portrait range where it is great. It is not as versatile as a true 50mm focal length but it is still usable in a good variety of situations. Of course with the f1.4 it makes it great for low light shooting but you might have your back against the wall for indoor shooting. Im sure the lens is far more capable than what the aps-c sensor of the A6300 can handle but it has to be one of the finest lenses you can get for the system if the money isnt too much of a concern for you. If you can get over the price and the size/weight, this is a fantastic high quality lens with weatherproofing that produces amazing images. Whether or not this is the fast prime you need will be up to you but if you know what youre getting I can say this definitely returns on the investment. I dont like to use personal pictures for my reviews so no portraits but I will post a few to give an idea of clarity and bokeh despite the limitations of posting pictures on Amazon.

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Fantastic pictures with a Magic touch. Awesome!

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amazing image quality

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One of the best e-mounts available

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Very sharp lens, but can be heavy. I am using on an A6000, planning to upgrade to a full frame eventually, waiting for that a7iii.

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If you have any A7x and 50mm is a focal length that you like, this lens is a MUST. Just perfect

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Excellent lens for Sony A7 series.

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I want to give Sony and Zeiss a shout out here, because they deserve it. This is the most spectacular 50mm lens ever built. Period. If you need "proof" you can go look at the test results on Dxomark. Im using this lens on an A7R II. Now, Ive shot everything from a manual film 1972 Nikon Nikkormat, to medium format, to digital and everything in between. Ive never seen a more astonishing combination than this lens on the A7R II. The contrast, color, saturation and sharpness are absolutely stunning. The bokeh is incredible. I only shoot wide open, at 1.4 (why else would you own this?). If you dont think this lens is incredible, either youre using it for the wrong application, your technique / equipment are faulty, you dont know what youre doing, you dont have context to properly evaluate this lens, or a combination of these. If you do buy the lens, youll end up agreeing with me, because youre smart, and Im right.

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Why 4 star instead 5 because the price is huge. the lens is fantastic especially Bokeh my camera is sony as72 but focus is slow

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